Getting Out of The Gap

GAP auf zwölf Uhr!
Originally uploaded by status6.

The Gap used to be one of my favorite stores. They had all the basics, and sometimes had some other great finds. But something happened in the mid 90s when their Old Navy brand launched. It looked like the Gap had taken a back seat to it's sassy, cheap-chic sister. The ads popped out more with a tongue in cheeck retro style that caught on rather quickly and there was a great sense of excitement. The thing was, the merchandise would crank out faster at Old Navy than Gap - and teens were buying it. The Gap, which is pretty much the same as Old Navy - casual basics, tried attempts at changing. They had a couple of collections that just didn't seem to go anywhere and smart customers were starting to feel that if they can get the same jeans at Old Navy, why shell out an extra $20 at Gap - they are the same company anyway.

Now, it looks like Gap - the flagship brand that seems to be the middle child to sophisticated Banana Republic and the fun, young Old Navy - needs to get back to being relevant. Enter the shop-within-a-shop concept which was tried out when the launched their Forth & Towne brand last year (whatever happened to that, anyway?). For the Gap, there will be four distinct shops : denim, T-shirts, activewear and "clean" - workwear basics like khakis and button-down shirts. In the test market, there was a positive response and the new plan allows new merchandise to enter the mix a lot faster - just like rivals H&M do so well. The new format will launch at all Gap stores at the end of July, when the first of the fall collection come in.